From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy
The word democracy often gets thrown around, whether in political discussions, philosophical debates or cultural criticisms. It’s also the central theme of these blinks, so let's put the concept of democracy into context before going any further.
Simply put, democracy is a government for the people, by the people. In 1789, the US Constitution brought together democratic ideals of equality and fair representation in a radical way.
Unfortunately, the values embedded in the Constitution were ignored for much of the country’s early history, and the United States had a weak and deeply corrupt political system right up until the nineteenth century. Goods and services were bought and sold in exchange for political alliances and, unsurprisingly, it was the rich and influential who wielded the most political power.
But toward the end of the nineteenth century, things began to change; the American federal government began to transform. By the mid-twentieth century, it had become an independent, effective and value-driven political actor.
This transformation began with the Progressive movement, led by politicians such as Theodore Roosevelt, who broke up big business conglomerates. This work was pushed along by the politics of the New Deal, which provided US citizens with healthcare and a general pension.
Industrialization had also altered traditional social structures and was a driving force behind social changes. From African-Americans to suffragettes, a host of newly empowered political actors began to shake up the old and corrupt system.
By 1989, it looked like democracy was on top. The author, in his seminal text The End of History, argued that the fall of Communism marked democracy’s triumph, and its global expansion was the inevitable path that the future would take.
In fact, the number of democracies across the globe increased to nearly 120 in 2010 from just 35 in 1970; that’s around 60 percent of the world’s countries. But as democracy spread, it encountered its fair share of challenges along the way – and this is even true of democracy in the United States. But before we dig deeper into these issues, let’s learn about what makes a democracy work.
Political Order and Political Decay (2014) contrasts the history of democracy in America with its current condition to reveal the fundamental flaws of our modern democracy. From a declining middle class to selfish lobbyists and unadaptable institutions, these blinks explain just a few sources of political decay in the United States.
No bourgeois, no democracy. - Barrington Moore Jr., Harvard University theorist
Ich bin begeistert. Ich liebe Bücher aber durch zwei kleine Kinder komme ich einfach nicht zum Lesen. Und ja, viele Bücher haben viel bla bla und die Quintessenz ist eigentlich ein Bruchteil.
Genau dafür ist Blinkist total genial! Es wird auf das Wesentliche reduziert, die Blinks sind gut verständlich, gut zusammengefasst und auch hörbar! Das ist super. 80 Euro für ein ganzes Jahr klingt viel, aber dafür unbegrenzt Zugriff auf 3000 Bücher. Und dieses Wissen und die Zeitersparnis ist unbezahlbar.
Extrem empfehlenswert. Statt sinnlos im Facebook zu scrollen höre ich jetzt täglich zwischen 3-4 "Bücher". Bei manchen wird schnelle klar, dass der Kauf unnötig ist, da schon das wichtigste zusammen gefasst wurde..bei anderen macht es Lust doch das Buch selbständig zu lesen. Wirklich toll
Einer der besten, bequemsten und sinnvollsten Apps die auf ein Handy gehören. Jeden morgen 15-20 Minuten für die eigene Weiterbildung/Entwicklung oder Wissen.
Viele tolle Bücher, auf deren Kernaussagen reduziert- präzise und ansprechend zusammengefasst. Endlich habe ich das Gefühl, Zeit für Bücher zu finden, für die ich sonst keine Zeit habe.
Hol dir mit Blinkist die besten Erkenntnisse aus mehr als 7.000 Sachbüchern und Podcasts. In 15 Minuten lesen oder anhören!
Jetzt kostenlos testen
Blink 3 von 12 - Eine kurze Geschichte der Menschheit
von Yuval Noah Harari
